Today, the TF2 server finally got to see some major changes in both the map rotation as well as the addition of a brand new mode.

Map Changes:

Maps moved to Nomination list:

Plr_pipeline

Sd_doomsday

Cp_mountainlab

Cp_croissant_final

Pl_cranetop_b8

Pl_outback_rc4

Plr_panic

Koth_traingrid

Ctf_sawmill

Ctf_doublecross

Cp_gorge

Maps added to rotation:

Cp_shiro_b1

Koth_probed_72

Arena_badlands

Arena_lumberyard

Arena_ravine

Arena_watchtower

Arena_offblast_final

Arena_well

Why so many arena maps? Simple, we installed a new game mode called Arena Respawn.

Check out the official page here! Arena Respawn is pretty much normal arena mode, but whenever the point is capped, the capping team’s players are all respawned. It makes for less waiting and more shooting, which is never a bad thing.

The last couple changes are pretty straight forward; we removed the sexy pink bathrobe item for being too sexy, and set the map vote to remove maps from the voting list until 15 more maps have been played since which should cut down on the repetitiveness of the server.

There are a few other maps that have been uploaded to the server and added to the nomination list for the time being. After some testing with the community the best maps will be added into full rotation.

Yes, a brick. Like the kind used to build walls. To be frank, I’m a few days late and a few dollars short of calling dibs on any real Smash characters, but who needs some claim on just one digital avatar? Let me tell you why a brick is by far the better choice. In making my choice, I looked at the three main categories smash characters fall in, value, reliability, and availability. From there it was a simple matter of going through the list to see who hadn’t been picked yet, and while Mr. Game and Watch was a tempting choice, I feel I’ve made the best pick.

Value Over the years brick technology has advanced considerably with a vast variety of bricks available to purchase. Given all the options out there the price of bricks is fairly cheap, especially when buying a single one. Even a bag of bricks would cost you almost nothing and you can customize it to no end, giving it insanely more value as a fighter than just the limited stock of options for even the Mii Fighters. Bricks also carry their attributes across all platforms and all versions of the game, no region locked bull for me, no sir!

Bricks are even compatible with other fighting games; have a SF4 tournament tomorrow and have no idea who to play? Pick a brick! Somebody from up the street broke into your house and is shouting about MAVHEL BABAAY! Grab your brick. Your little cousin got Mario kart 8 for his birthday? Ready up that brick.

Accessibility Everywhere you go there are bricks to be found. Even if it’s too late to purchase one, with a crowbar and a little elbow grease, you can easily grab a brick from just about anywhere. Nobody will ever think to pick a brick either, so there is never that odd chance of having to switch fighters. The truly best part about a brick is that even a complete newbie can master the ways of the brick within seconds of starting to play as one. It’s just that easy. Why are bricks the best thing since before sliced bread, that’s simple.

Reliability Never will a brick let you down; the only way to lose with a brick is to misuse it. If a brick is not digital then why use it? Simple, if someone starts winning the game you hit them with your brick; Instant KO and victory every single time. It is next to impossible to lose while using a brick. On top of that, a brick will never tell the cops on you, so no legal worries either. The only downside is that bricks are banned from tournaments due to how ungodly overpowered they are. What a shame that is.

Ladies and gentlemen, Iím proud to announce the return of Streamtoid. Yes, that Streamtoid; the Destructoid community run twitch.tv channel.

Things will hopefully be a bit more streamlined this time around, with a couple of slight tweaks being made. First thingís first, there will be a publicly viewable schedule ready at any point in time so folks can now whatís going on. The second thing is pretty simple, Fridays will be reserved for anyone doing streams of Friday Night Fights, that way everyone can have a shot to show off what FNF has to offer. The last change will hopefully make things simple for everyone; itís just a small google form to fill out for anyone who wants to stream available here: Application.

Other than that itís the same old Streamtoid we grew to know and love, just, with a new set of management who doesnít want to see it die again. More details will be coming soon about specifics, and I really hope to see this channel back and thriving once again soon. Have any suggestions? Comments? Concerns?

When it comes to Destructoid the community is never far behind, any mention of Dtoid and someone is bound to talk about the group of awesome folks who make the site special. Back when I first started coming here I saw what a wonderful place Destructoid was. That was almost four years ago, things have changed considerably since then, Dale and Hamza are in charge, Jim, Anthony Burch, Maurice Tan, and Nick Chester, have all gone their separate ways alongside many others I donít remember off the top of my head. There always seemed to be this understanding that Destructoid was very community focused, always doing crazy things and producing content that not only helped to build the site up, but allowed many people to help in the process. As of this weekend, another part of that community is gone, Dtoid.tv, along with its hosts Phil and Spencer were let go as well as Conrad Zimmerman. Iím not going to say that any decision made along any point is inherently wrong; there are always two sides to every story, and hopefully a good reason for everything. There will never be a time when absolutely everyone is happy, but telling people something about why content is going away will help greatly ease the disappointment. There are some really awesome people who work with the community directly and do some pretty cool things, but what made the Destructoid community special so long ago was that it really felt like everyone at every level had an interest in the site itself, could make their voice heard and potentially help out at any level. Hamza took the time to clear things up, and I can respect that. I just wish weíd see more transparency like that. At the end of the day Iím not mad at anyone for whatís happened, merely just disappointed that the meaning of the word community seems to be forgotten.

Community;a gathering of people drawn together out of a common interest, attitude or goal.

Tonight is the night! Tonight at 7:30 PM PST and 10:30 PM EST, Between 2Fort will be live on my twitch channel here. There will be a steam announcement shortly before the show goes live as a friendly reminder. Please feel free to hop in the server around then and join in the chaos. I look forward to seeing everything there, as well as attempting to interview the ever awesome Spencer. As always if you have any questions, concerns or comments, feel free to post below or talk to any of the admins.

So what is TF2sday?Every Tuesday, a ton of folks from all across Destructoid hop on to the community server to play, talk, and shoot each other. It's usually a pretty crazy good time, and almost always involves various melee only matches between a handful of classes. So feel free to jump on and join us sometime!

New to TF2sday?Don't worry, you're not alone! Any and all Dtoiders are welcome, so please don't be shy. If there is ever something wrong, or if you need to contact one of the server admins, please see below, all admin names and links to their Steam profile is listed.

Its here, and while not everything currently works, Vs Saxton Hale has come back to the TF2 server (in the form of the Freak Fortress 2 mod), along with the return of a special map for the mode; MannCo HQ.

1. Superjump: By crouching or alt-firing, looking up and releasing crouch/alt-fire, the player will be propelled upwards.
2. Super Duper Jump: A variation of the "Superjump" that protects Hale from instant death or becoming trapped by falling into a precipice.
3. Rage: As the boss takes damage, his rage meter will fill (similar to the Battalion's Backup), normally topping out after 1900 damage is taken. Taunting with a full rage meter will scare all nearby players, halve nearby Sentry Guns' health, and disable those Sentry Guns temporarily. The boss will also gain a 4 second defense buff after using rage that reduces all incoming damage by 33%.
4. Escape Plan Effect: All bosses' movement speed increases as they take more damage.
5. Mantreads Effect: Falling onto a player will deal similar damage to a hit from Hale's fists.
6. Weighdown: After being airborne for five seconds, looking down and holding crouch will force the boss down to the ground to prevent getting stuck from constant knockback.

Horseless Headless Horsemann:
His abilities:
1. The Horseless Headless Horsemann Jr.'s Super Duper Jump allows him to teleport instantly, but stuns him longer than a normal teleport.
2. The Horseless Headless Horsemann Jr.'s Superjump is replaced with the ability to teleport the boss to a random enemy. The teleport takes longer to 'charge up', and the boss is stunned for a few seconds after teleporting, giving his prey a chance to escape.
3. the rest is the same as Hale.